Strap fixture for armchairs



Aug. 28, 1945. A. B. MULLER STRAP FIXTURE FOR ARMCFIAIRS Filed Sept. 2'7, 1941 MM W mvENT R.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 STRAP FIXTURE FOR ARMCHAIRS Albert B. Muller, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to Juvenile Wood" Products, Inc a corporation of Indiana Application September 27,1941, Serial No. 412,589: 2' Claims. (01. 155189) This invention relates to improvements in strap fixtures for arm chairs where straps or harness is attached to the armrests of a chair by which an occupant of the chair is secured in seated position thereon.- For instance, it has become a custom to provide an auxiliary arm chair applicable to the regular seat and back cushion of an automobile in superimposed position thereon for the accommodation of a child.

The present invention relates to fixtures for and the manner of conveniently attaching straps or harness to the arms of the chair to promote security from dislodgment of the occupant of the auxiliary seat due to jolting or irregular travel of the automobile.

An object of the invention is to provide a fixture for securing a strap or harness to an arm of a chair and a manner of connecting the fixture with the arm whereby the strap and the arm are coupled securely together.

A further object of the invention is to afford a simple, efiicient and economically applied connection between a harness and the arm rests of a chair.

Other objects and advantages of the invention ap ear in the following description.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an arm chair structur to which the invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a, fixture for connecting a belt strap or harness to the arms of a chair;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational View of a chair arm to which the fixture is applied, a portion thereof being in section;

Fig. 4; is a transverse section of Fig. 3 on the line 4-4 thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a chair arm to which the fixture is secured, and a harness attached thereto.

Th illustrative embodiment of the invention consists of arm rests I for a chair, which have made therein sockets 2 that are closed at their inner ends and extend therein laterally from their inner-sides, and strap fixtures 3 that are secured to the arm rests for connection with and support of a belt strap or harness 4.

I In the present instance, which is an example of theinvention, the arm rests consist of bars 5 the'upper portions of which have thereon padcompassed by a covering 1 of upholstery material.

The fixtures are each formed of a length; of wire shaped at one end portion thereof to formanexposed open eye 8, the opposite end portion of .the wire being backturned to form an anchor =hook 9, both of which'preferably lie in a common plane, and on a medial portion of the wire adjacent the eye is concentrically disposed a metallic disk It. In securing the fixture to the arm a slit is made in the cover 1 to permit the anchorhook end of the fixture to be inserted therethrough into the socket 2 in the corresponding bar 5 in which it is concealed, and is held by a nail II which afterwards is driven into the adjacent end of the bar through the socket and. anchor hook at right angles thereto against the bight of the hook. When the fixture is thus secured in place, the disk I0 is held exteriorly against the cover 7 which thereby closes the slit made in the covering and the outer end of the socket 2 and the fixture is held from turning. After the fixture has been secured in place a portion of the covering 1 that extends beyond 5 the end of the bar 5 forms a flap I2 that is folded around the end of the arm rest and secured by ,tacks l3 or other suitable means, thus concealing the anchor nail ll.

If it be desired to sustain the eye 8 in horizontal position, the fixture is accordingly turned in the socket and the anchor nail is applied ver- 30.tically through the bar instead of through the ding 6 which, together with the bars, are en- .end thereof. In either event, the fixture is held by the anchor nail-from either being withdrawn from the socket or being turned upon its axis from the position in which it is initially secured.

The belt strap 4 is extended through the openings of the exposed eyes 8 and folded back where it issecured upon itself adjacent the eyes by means of stitches M or by other suitable means. The extending ends l5 and I6 of the strap are so disposed as to be secured around the body of an occupant of the chair by means of a buckle l! on ne end of the strap by engagement through perforations I8 in the other end thereof. Other harness may be substituted for the belt strap here disclosed for mor complete confinement of the occupant as may be desired by securing same to the fixtures in any suitable manner.

In the common practice strap fixtures formed of wire-have straight shanks that extend through the arm rest and are provided with exposed washers on the protruding ends of the shanks which are swaged or upset to prevent withdrawal of the washers. In such instances in order to permit swaging of the protruding ends of the shanks the wire necessarily must be sufficient- 1y ductile to admit of being swaged and therefore are of large diameter to afiord the required strength. In the present instance, however, swaging of the wire is not required, the fixture being made of stiff, strong wire of small diameter, shaped and secured in the arm rests so their eyes and complemental disks only are exposed and thus inconspicuouslyand efiectively connectthe harness with the arms.

In use, the chair I9 is positioned and secured where required for use and after the occupant is seated thereon the free ends of the straps are coupled together around the torso wherefore to prevent dislodgment of the occupant.

Variations from the particular construction above disclosed may be resorted to by the exercise of skill in the art, without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention, and the following claims are intended to be inclusive of such variations.

What Iclaim is: I 1 I e 1 r 1: A fixture for'attachment of a strap to a chair arm that has a socket therein, said fixture consisting f a wire member-shaped at one end socket is prevented.

2. A fixture for attachment of a strap to a chair arm that has a socket therein, said fixture consisting of a wire member shaped at one end to provide an open strap-receiving eye and at the opposite end to form an elongated anchor hook, said hook being positioned in said socket, and a nail in said arm extending transversely through said anchor hook, and engaging the bight thereof, the arrangement being such that substantial movement of said wire member inwardly and outwardly of the socket'is' prevented.

- ALBERT B. MULLER. 

